After Receiving The Sacraments, Let's Live Flew From Darkness 

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, December 8, 2013

In this week’s Gospel, we are introduced to Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, who preached in the wilderness of Judea. He appeared unexpectedly as the voice of God. He appeared at a time when the Jews were saying that for four hundred years, there had been no prophet, that the voice of the prophets do not sound anymore. Throughout these long centuries, they had thought that the voice of prophecy, which was the voice of God had remained silent and do not speak anymore. But as this thinking was becoming common among the people, John the Baptist emerged. He emerged with a message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

John was a fearless preacher who repudiated and denounced evil deeds wherever he saw them. When Herod entered into illicit and unlawful marriage with his brother’s wife, Herodias, John rebuked him and pointed out to him that the Jewish Law did not permit such behavior. When he saw that the Sadducees and Pharisees, the religious leaders, the churchmen of their day, were stuck in the letters of the law and paid no attention to the spirit of the law, John the Baptist challenged them and berated their hypocrisy. When he saw that the ordinary folks of his time were living lives that were not consistent with the professed faith, John rebuked them. Wherever he saw anything bad, anything evil- in the state, in the Temple, in the street, in the marketplace, John fearlessly rebuked it. His emergence became a light that lit up the dark places. His voice became the voice of virtue, the voice of goodness, the voice of uprightness, the voice of holiness, and the voice of God. His voice became the voice of faith, morals and reason. As he preached, he urged the people: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist was not a prophet of doom. His message was not only about denunciation, repudiation and rebuke of evil. He did not only denounce the wrong that people were doing, he also challenged them to become what they ought to be and to what they could be. As he was pointing out the path that leads to destruction, he was equally showing the path to life and salvation. 

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 3:1-12) says: “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea...” His prophetic ministry and message started in the desert, yet, people, including the Pharisees and Sadducees were going to him to be baptized by him. Everyone was running to him, thinking that he was the Messiah. But in his humility, John did not assume who he was not. He did not claim to be the Christ. He told the people: “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John pointed beyond himself. He was not simply a voice of rebuke but also a signpost to God. He did not wish to become the center of attraction. He wanted to prepare people to encounter Jesus, the one he described as “mightier than I.” 

To those who had been baptized, baptized unto repentance, John urged: “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” John warns that it will avail to nothing to say that Abraham is our father when one’s deeds are not consistent with the faith that Abraham professed and lived out. It will amount to nothing to say that we are Christians if we are not following in the footsteps of Christ. A Christian is a professional lover. A Christian is a lover of God and God’s people. A Christian is another Christ in the world. It will amount to nothing, after receiving the sacraments- baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist etc, we still live in darkness. Claiming Abraham as our father in faith is not going to be enough unless our faith in God is deeply rooted as that of Abraham. Saying verbally that Jesus is Lord will avail to nothing if we don’t live like his servants. Appealing only to God’s mercy is not going to be enough if we don’t make effort to enjoy his mercy. God’s mercy is to be enjoyed and not be abused. Claiming to be children of the kingdom will mean nothing if we don’t walk and live like redeemed and delivered children of the kingdom. John prophesied that the nearness of God’s kingdom requires appropriate action- to repent, to be converted, to have a change of heart. Claiming to be born again will mean nothing if we only live to oppose. To be born again doesn’t have to be all about opposition. Yes, a born again Christian must be born to oppose and be against anything that is not Christ-centered. But a born again Christian must be born again for something good. John the Baptist was not just against something, he was for something. He did not only condemn and rebuke, he also pointed to the light. The emphasis should not just be on avoidance of sins and evil, but on doing something good, being lovely and lovable, being hospitable, being kind, being compassionate, being merciful, being generous, being inclusive, being tolerant, being gentle, being humble, being truthful, being sacrificial, being understandable, being less difficult, being holy and above all, being Christ. 

Don’t Just Exist! Be Alive!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, December 1, 2013

“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

There is a difference between existence and living. To exist is to be. But to live is to be awake, to be up and doing, to be alive and active. In spiritual context, to live is to be alive in the Spirit. Stones exist. Rocks exist. Mountains exist. Seas exist. The pews you are sitting on exist. The church building exist. But all these do not have life in them. They are not alive. They are inanimate things. As for us, we are not created just to exist like rocks. We are created to live. The season of Advent calls us to be alive, awake and up and doing in the Spirit. This season calls us to pay attention to the engines of our lives. The engine largely makes a car function. If you drive your car to a mechanic and asks that the engine be brought down, if you attempt to drive out once the engine goes down, that car is not going to start. It is not going to run because the engine, the “source of power and life” of that car is no more. Beloved one, God is the engine of our lives. Any life that shuts him out, any life that shuns and ignores God cannot be up and running. If God does not matter to any life, that life too will not matter.

Today, we begin the season of Advent.  Advent is the beginning of the Church’s liturgical Calendar. The season of Advent precisely emphasizes the Parousia, that is, the Second Coming of Jesus. The word “Advent” means “arrival” or “coming.” It indicates the arrival or the coming of the Lord. It teaches that Jesus Christ, our Brother in our humanity, and our God in his divinity is coming. The Lord comes to us in different ways: Firstly, the whole Gospel of Luke chapter 2 tells us that at a specific time in history in Bethlehem, more than 2000 years ago, the infant Jesus was born. The first entrance of Jesus into our world is what we celebrate at Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate the migration of the King of kings from heaven to earth. From being a Landlord, he became a tenant with us in our neighborhood because of us. With him living with us we are protected. We are no longer afraid of the Hoodlum- the Devil who terrorizes our streets. Secondly, the gospel of Matthew 24: 29-31 speaks of the Lord’s arrival at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. His Second Coming is going to be a time of reward and recompense. Thirdly, Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and in the Word of God proclaimed and preached. Finally, Jesus comes to us in the needy persons, in the poor, the most vulnerable, the suffering and the oppressed. The face of the poor, the needy and vulnerable is the face of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did unto me.”

In today’s Gospel taken from Matthew 24:37-44, Jesus urges us: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” He compares his Second Coming to the visit of a thief. Thieves do not usually send a notice to the homeowner beforehand of their impending visit. After they had made their arrangements, they simply invade their target and cart-away whatever is valuable to them. But if the owner of the house is aware of their visit, he surely would prepare to match them strength for strength. He would not sit idly by and watch them invade his house and take away his treasures. In the same manner, the Lord’s Second Coming will happen at an hour we do not expect. But unlike the thief, Jesus is not coming to steal our material treasures, he’s coming to take us to the Better Place. Like the thief, he will come unannounced and if we are awake and prepared, he will take us along. When a “smart” thief breaks into a home, and finds the owner deeply asleep, he’s likely not going to bother to wake the homeowner up. He is going to quietly take whatever he can find and leave before he wakes up and dial 911 or recognize him. It is almost the same way with Jesus. When he comes and finds us deeply asleep, asleep in faith, hope and charity, unlike the thief, he’s not going to take any of our material goods, because he does not need them; but like the thief, he may not bother to wake us up. He may simply walk away in disappointment.

Today’s Gospel urges us to stay awake, to pay attention, to be present to the ways in which God is coming into our life and the ways we come to God. The Lord reminds us that our actions or inactions have eternal consequences. He encourages us to wake up from the sleep of the soul. The sleep of the soul is the neglect of God and God’s matters. The sleep of the soul is the neglect of one’s state of life; it is the neglect of virtues. It is the neglect of spiritual duties like coming to Church on Sunday and letting the church come to us everyday. Some people come to Church always, but always leave worship unchanged. Letting the church come to us means “being a church person every time and in everywhere.” 

As we begin the season of Advent, there are three important things that today’s Gospel calls our attention to:

1. Staying awake in order to be ready. Jesus wants his followers to daily pay attention to the presence of God in our lives. God invites us daily to a relationship of love and intimacy with him. This invitation can come through people, through the events of life and through our experiences- good or bad. Staying awake enables us to be spiritually prepared and alive to respond to this wonderful and amazing relationship with God, the One who alone is good.
2. Today’s Gospel reminds us once again that Jesus, our Best Friend will come back some day. In the creed (I believe in one God...), we always recite, “he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” 
3. As for the time and the hour when the Lord will come back, we do not know. And this part is the biggest challenge of our faith. But we do not have to live our lives in fear, fear of the unknown hour and time. As long as we live our lives according to Jesus’ law of love, we have nothing to be afraid of. As long as we are staying awake and being ready, whenever the Lord appears, we will be ready to reign with him. Daily preparation is what it is going to take to respond to God’s constant invitation. As it is said, proper preparation prevents poor performance. Proper and daily preparation will forestall eternal regret.